A short and simple verbal storytelling idea using the 5 Part Cog Model and our Symbol Folder.

A pupil from Hillside School tells the story of Scooby Doo and Shaggy being frightened by a witch in a haunted house. What will make them feel better? Watch the clip below to find out!

The child was presented with a printed image of personal interest to him (Scooby Doo) and was asked to create a short story.  Learning about the four individual cogs shown – Emotion Words, Triggers, Body Sensations and Regulation Strategies – had taken place in advance of this session. The child was confident in each concept and in using these together. As a result, the child was able to use the resources independently to create and tell his story. We see this familiarity and confidence in the way he handles the resources, quickly and accurately matching symbols to each cog colour/Cut Out, and recapping the story with all four component parts included.

Using the 5 part cog model doesn’t have to be complicated or lengthy. This is a quick and effective idea and can be adapted to suit any topic. A simple stimulus, symbol prompts, cog cut outs and allowing the child to take the lead, create a quality emotional story. Cogs can be used to plan ideas for Weekend News, “Just a Minute” style games, drama or artwork. This could be transferred to one of our worksheets or extended with the cog cut outs and symbols used as a plan and later written or scribed, acted out or drawn.

NB. This example uses only 4 of the 5 main cogs, but because the blue regulation strategy cog is included, it is considered the 5 cog model.

This example demonstrates how Emotion Works can be used within and to support the ASN Framework. The stimulus was of personal interest to the child which made the story more interesting to him and the activity more engaging, whilst the use of non-verbal communication prompts, such as the Symbol Folder and the Cog Cut Outs, enabled him to share his ideas concisely. The positive relationship with the member of staff can be seen as the boy appears animated but relaxed and looks often at the person filming before she congratulates him at the end of his story.